Game Day Recaps, The Experience
Benjamin Gozzi
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Jaylyn Resh twirls into the spotlight
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H4TH: VT v. Clemson

Hokies 4 the Hungry (H4TH) is a combined effort with the Montgomery County Christmas Store to provide meals and discounted gifts for those in need during the holidays. It is a tradition that the MVs have supported for several years and is one that many members of the band look forward to participating in. Events include a week-long interband competition with bonus point items, and “canned bean” deduction points to harm other sections in the competition.

On gameday, the band disperses to tailgates to collect more cans and raise funds for the store to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, and toys for their discounted Christmas store. It is a lot of fun for members of the band, but it is even more important to be supporting such a great cause in our community!

The Golden Knights Precision Parachute Team! (photo courtesy of Andrew Single)

First Half

The first quarter resulted in a tied score of 0-0, with both the Clemson Tigers and Virginia Tech Hokies showing off their strong defense. The excitement came when Clemson went for a field goal. Hokie’s Keyshawn Burgos blocked the kick, and Quentin Reddish recovered the ball, rushing it 77 yards for the first touchdown of the game! This ended the first half 0-7.

Halftime

This week’s show was Dark Disney, highlighting Villainous themes from several Disney classics, including “Hellfire” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, “Anthem of Evil” from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, “Breath of Life” by Florence & the Machine (written for Snow White and the Huntsman), and ended the show with the main theme from The Pirates of the Caribbean, written by Hans Zimmer. The show was full of several moving shapes and lines, creating impactful images on the field. As always, it was another amazing performance in Lane Stadium full of cheers and excitement as the fans’ favorite themes from Disney classics were shared.

Roaming pep bands! (photo courtesy of Andrew Single)

Second Half

The second half was not as hopeful for the Hokies, as Clemson scored two touchdowns and held the Virginia Tech offense from any attempts at earning any points before the end of the third quarter. After the small break, Clemson pushed the Virginia Tech defense down the field again to score their last touchdown of the game. The Virginia Tech Defense still pushed to keep Clemson from running all the way down the field, however Clemson made their last advances with a final successful field goal attempt. However, the Hokies were not done. With Virginia Tech quarterback, Collin Schlee, making his debut during the second half, he threw a 14 yard pass to Ayden Greene, adding one last touchdown for the Hokies within the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. The game ended with a Clemson victory, 24-14.

Although the Virginia Tech Hokies were not able to clutch a victory, the Marching Virginians won big this week with the Hokies 4 The Hungry canned food drive! In total, the Marching Virginians collected 21,217 cans within the band, beating the band record set last year! Congratulations to the MV Nets for collecting the most cans and most points during our interband competition!

MVs unloading cans after a successful food drive! (photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Christmas Store)

Furthermore, a HUGE thank you to the Clemson Marching Band for donating 2,200 cans and $800 to our cause during their visit! The band also collected additional cans and monetary donations during our roaming pep bands, bringing our final count to a total of 24,518 cans and $16,000!

We want to give a big thank you to everyone who participated in our food drive to support the Montgomery County Christmas Stores and those in need in our community during the upcoming holiday seasons!

The Heartbeat of Lane: Meet VT's Drumline

When the MVs take the field, the wind instruments stand at the forefront of it all. From the audience, it’s easy to get lost in the flashy horn moves and warm melodies from the brass and woodwinds. However, if you let yourself fall deeper into the music, you’ll feel the pulse driving each piece forwards. With each precise movement, the drumline is responsible for keeping the music alive.

Despite their integral role, the drumline’s dedication and extra effort is often overlooked. Let’s shift the spotlight and spend a game day with VT’s very own drumline.

Warmups

While wind players are seen strolling into the MVC and playing section sports, the drumline begins grabbing their instruments and getting into formation. They start their rehearsal early by stretching—the arm circles, calf stretches, and laps help build the game day excitement among the section.

Their warm-up consists of 8s, accent taps, triplet rolls, and Pry paradiddles (named after the beloved Hokies football coach). The echoed beats across Chicken Hill signifies the start of rehearsal to the rest of the band and to the surrounding tailgaters.

“We work really hard to make sure everything sounds good… We’re here [early] because we have to be.”

Jin Yun, cymbals

Photo credit: Taylor Harrison

March to Victory

For the MVs, the March to Victory is one of the most impactful game day traditions. It allows us to interact directly with Hokie football fans as we enter Lane Stadium, anxiously awaiting the game. As we make our way to Lane from the MVC, the drumline can be heard playing Beamer Beats and their secondary cadence, which changes each season. These cadences are written by the drumline themselves, making them a unique part of the Virginia Tech football experience.

Pregame

If you look to the center of the MV stands just before the football team makes their appearance, you might be able to see each member of the drumline reach into a box of raisins. As the stadium seats begin to fill, the drumline proudly lifts their raisins to the air and proclaim words of encouragement before consuming the snack. With this, they are ready to watch the Hokies win another game.

“I love being super close to the field and getting to see the whole game.”

Mallie Yun, bassline (white shirt)

Photo credit: Nathalia Berenguer

Drum Cheers

After the game has commenced, the drumline can be heard leading the band through numerous in-game events. The drum cheers “Nokia Style” and “Bojangles” can be heard during second and fourth downs, respectively. Other cheers such as “Percolator” and “Donkey Punch” are played sporadically throughout the game to keep the energy high. The MVs love to dance, and you will notice that every section of the band has choreographed moves for each cheer.

As the final notes of Superman ring across the emptying stadium, light reflects off of metallic cymbals raised high in the air. With that, the game has ended.

Pregame: VT v. Boston College

It was Thursday night college football under the bright lights in Lane Stadium, and the energy and fans did not disappoint!

In its most recent home game this past Thursday, Oct. 17, Virginia Tech squared off against the visiting Boston College Eagles in front of a sold out crowd in Lane Stadium. Sporting their new orange jerseys for the Orange Effect game, the Hokies played through the chilly Blacksburg autumn weather.

The Commonwealth. (Photo credit: AJ Joseph)

In the press conference the Monday prior to the game, Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry noted the tradition the Thursday night atmosphere would bring to Blacksburg.

“ESPN Thursday Night Football [and] Virginia Tech go hand in hand,” Pry said. “This series is tied 3-3 on Thursday night against Boston College, so it’s a rubber match.”

Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones also commented on the game as well as the energy that the sold out crowd would bring on Thursday.

“I was glad to be a part of it last year... Even on a Thursday night it’s sold out, so I’m glad to have these fans behind us and then just going out there and giving them a show Thursday.”

Pregame

Along the lines of tradition, the Marching Virginians performed one of our favorite shows Thursday night in our annual Pregame show. Cued by a drumline cadence, the MVs began their run onto the field, outlining the shape of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the process. Once set, the band performed its traditional Fanfare from “Superman,” and the piece’s grand ending marked the start of the pregame performance. 

Next came the well-known pieces in the Shenandoah Chorale and March, VPI Victory March, and Tech Triumph, which came after the controlled chaos that is the “toilet bowl.” 

Hi, Hokie Bird! (photo credit: MV Online Content)

After Tech Triumph came the melodic “Copland Colors,” where the nation’s colors were marched out onto the field and were presented for the national anthem which soon followed.

Once the national anthem finished, and the cannon fired off, the band played Tech Triumph once again, and set up the tunnel for the football team’s run on to the classic “Enter Sandman” entrance.

First Half

After Boston College was unable to score on the opening drive of the game, the Hokies got off to a hot start with quarterback Kyron Drones running in an 11-yard touchdown on Tech’s first offensive drive of the game. This was later followed by two turnovers by the Eagles which led to two Virginia Tech scores, another one from Drones and then one from running back Bhayshul Tuten. Then, in the last two minutes of the half, the Hokies drove down the field and scored another touchdown on a reception from Tuten. By halftime, Virginia Tech had a commanding 28-0 lead.

Second Half

The Hokies got off to a slow start in the second half, starting off their first three possessions with a punt, interception, and fumble on their first three drives. Boston College responded to these miscues, scoring a touchdown on each of their answering possessions. The Eagles very quickly put up 21 unanswered points, and the score was 28-21 in favor of Virginia tech midway through the third quarter. The stress was slowly increasing in the MV stands, but as always, we figured Virginia Tech would pull through.

Hi, Thomas! (photo credit: Andrew Single)

The Hokies did just that as they erupted for 14 points in the fourth quarter. Bhayshul Tuten led the charge on offense, as he scored another touchdown on the board and then delivered the final blow to the Boston College defense with a 61-yard touchdown to put the Hokies up by 21 points. In doing all of this, Tuten also set the single-game rushing record in Virginia Tech program history with 266 rushing yards on the night. Boston College would be unable to score the rest of the game, and the Hokies would come away with the 42-21 victory. Virginia Tech now sits at a 4-3 record on the season, and is only two wins away from becoming bowl eligible for a second straight year. 

We’ll be back in Lane Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 26 when Virginia Tech takes on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in another pivotal ACC matchup. For that game, the band will be performing our homecoming show at halftime! 

As previously mentioned, the annual pregame show is one of the favorites among the Marching Virginians. From the run-on to the toilet bowl to setting the tunnel for “Enter Sandman,” we love every minute of the tradition the band brings to gamedays, especially on nights like the one this past Thursday. The tradition the game brought, not only for the football teams but for the band as well, serves as a reminder of what creates the backbone for the Spirit of Tech in its 50th year.

Halfway Point!

You’ve reached a digital checkpoint – stop scrolling!

At least – that’s what I would start this with if we were on a social media app, instead of a blog. It grabbed your attention despite the platform confusion, so let’s run with it. 

Welcome to the halfway point!

We held on tight for those whirlwind first few weeks! Photo credit: Vk Din

The first half of the fall term absolutely flew by. With three exhibitions, Alumni Weekend and MV for a Day all crammed into September, these first couple of quiet weeks in October have been a welcome relief for the busy schedules of our high-achieving students. 

The latter half of the semester follows a more casual pace.

  • Boston College – October 17 (Pregame)

  • Georgia Tech – October 26 (Homecoming)

  • Clemson University – November 9 (Hokies for the Hungry)

  • UVA – November 30 (Senior Recognition & Band Parent Day)

These games each feature a special event, so take advantage of the slower pace to sit back and enjoy these time-honored traditions. 

And, keep an eye out for the beginning of basketball season; the pep band got rolling on Monday and can’t wait to bring an exciting atmosphere to Cassell Coliseum.

What Music Means to the MVs

Music is all around us—even if you aren’t a member of the Marching Virginians. Music has the power to shape how we feel, think, and act. It’s there for us in our best moments and our worst moments.

For the Marching Virginians, music isn’t just a hobby—it’s how we connect with our peers, fans, and community. Every Hokie football fan recognizes the sound of V-Tag after a first-down or of Tech Triumph as the Hokies score a touchdown. Since the music of the Marching Virginians is so important to Virginia Tech, I wanted to know which songs and artists make the Marching Virginians who they are.

Image courtesy of MV Online Content

Why did you learn to play an instrument?

“I’ve loved music since I was born, and my parents always made a huge effort to expose me to all kinds of music… I learned an instrument because that’s what you do in my family—everyone is fairly musical… I found a lot of solace in music.”
— Claudia Pack, Tenor Saxophone
“I thought it was so cool… I grew up as a young child watching shows on TV that had music related things in them—Little Einsteins was a big one for me… When band came around, I was like, ‘this is it, I’m so excited to be able to do this.’”
— Layla Wilson, Trumpet

What is your favorite thing to play in the Marching Virginians?

“My favorite shows [were] Metallica and El Toro [Caliente].”
— Jonathan Amorino, Trombone
“My favorite stand tune is “Bom Bom” — it has really fun horn moves!”
— Quinn O'Conner, Clarinet
“I love “[Welcome to the] Black Parade” because the tenors have melody…we get to show off our skills and how hard we’ve worked.”
— Claudia Pack, Tenor Saxophone

Do you have any special memories related to music?

“My favorite memory is how it feels to perform—not just on the football field, but on stage…just looking out into the audience and seeing everyone’s faces lit up and engaged…it’s such a great feeling.”
— Layla Wilson, Trumpet
“My sister and I have a shared playlist of songs that help us with our anxiety… It reminds us of when she was in high school, I was in middle school, and we would drive to school together while listening to music, and everything was okay.”
— Claudia Pack, Tenor Saxophone

What is your favorite genre of music and why?

““Alternative, because there’s so much that can go underneath it, like Noah Kahan and Hozier… it’s a very broad music genre.””
— Quinn O'Conner, Clarinet
“I love EDM… I love festivals and raves.”
— Jonathan Amorino, Trombone
“My favorite genre is metal… I love the energy that comes with it—heavy drum set, electric guitar…but if you combine it with the strings, like symphonic metal, that’s where it’s at.”
— Layla Wilson, Trumpet
““I’d say jazz [and] rock are my favorites. I love jazz for the complexity of it and rock because it’s all based on jazz. I have a strong ‘dad’ influence on my taste in music… a lot of Billy Joel, Michael McDonald, Doobie Brothers, Dave Matthews band…””
— Claudia Pack, Tenor Saxophone

What song best describes you?

““The vibe I want to give off is “Harlem Nocturne”… The vibe that I think I give off is “Now That’s What I Call Polka” by Weird Al [Yankovic].””
— Claudia Pack, Tenor Saxophone
“I’ll have to go with “Freaks” by Timmy Trumpet — or “Narco” by Timmy Trumpet.”
— Jonathan Amorino, Trombone
“My current hype song is “Good Luck Babe” by Chappell Roan.”
— Quinn O'Conner, Clarinet

Image courtesy of MV Online Content

I had a blast getting to know these MVs and their unique tastes in music. You can learn so much about a person just from their favorite songs. If you ever need to break the ice, try comparing playlists! You never know what you might find.

One, Two, Three: Exhibitions Review

While the Marching Virginians are most commonly recognized in the South End Zone of Lane Stadium, the band has had the chance to travel across Virginia this season.

In September, the 50th Anniversary edition of the MVs have traveled to three different exhibitions, showcasing what 330 dedicated student musicians have been working so hard on this fall.

All of us in the Marching Virginians were so grateful for the opportunity to show just exactly what a college-level marching band can be! 

Christiansburg: September 14

The band’s Christiansburg exhibition on Sept. 14 was a rousing success. Band members arrived at the Marching Virginians Center for a brief rehearsal at 5 p.m. that evening, where we breathed, warmed up as a band, and reviewed our upcoming performance. After a period of loading the buses and getting dressed in our uniforms, the band was off. Our drive took a little over twenty minutes, seeing as Christiansburg High School is in Blacksburg’s backyard. Many dedicated Hokies tuned into Virginia Tech football on the ride, and marchers cheered while watching quarterback Kyron Drones rifle a pass to a wide-open Jaylin Lane for six.  

We arrived at Christiansburg High School to a crowd of eager high school students and their family members. The band, in lines of five marchers, was called to attention and soon after marched into the Christiansburg football stadium. The excitement was truly palpable. 

The band performed a series of tunes that fans loved. The exhibition first started with the cascade of “Superman” washing over the Christiansburg crowd after the classic run-on to the turf. A whistle from drum major Emily Tucker guided us to the second set of our first home show, where we stood and played a teaser of what’s to come with selections from “Dark Disney.” Shortly thereafter, the band marched and played Aranjuez, a fiery Spanish selection that was built for big band energy. The piece, reconstructed from Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez,” electrified the Lane Stadium a weekend prior in the win against Marshall. After a quick block reset, the band played a selection of tunes from Grammy-award winning metal band Metallica, including “Wherever I May Roam” and the recognizable “Enter Sandman.”  

The super sousaphone section then rushed to the front of the field as the feature instruments in our performance of “Hokie Pokie.” The crowd ate up every dance move and even joined the band in song throughout the performance. Our last selection of the evening was a mix of tunes from our Pregame show, including “Shenandoah” and “VPI Victory March” with a concluding “Tech Triumph” off of the field. Before the band knew it, we were back at the MVC and focused on our performance against Rutgers the following weekend.  

Riverbend and North Stafford: September 28

On the last Saturday of September, the band woke up after an extremely controversial VT-Miami football game to perform at Riverbend High School and North Stafford High School. The band’s performance at the two competitions elated the crowds at both high schools.  

Riverbend

The first of two stops on our exhibition journey was at Riverbend High School. The Marching Virginians were invited to perform as a special guest in the Emerald Classic Invitational, and what a time the MVs had! After boarding the buses around 9 a.m., the MVs drove about four hours to get to Riverbend to at 2:30 p.m. We performed an identical set to our Christiansburg Exhibition, starting with our run-on and eventually concluding with Tech Triumph off the field. The first of two legs was a massive success, albeit a very hot one. Many MVs ran to get water once they got back to the air-conditioned buses and changed out of their sweat-covered gray MV shirts.  

Excluding potential post-season games, the Riverbend and North Stafford exhibitions stand as the furthest the band will have to travel this season. Since the MVs were away from home, we had an extended dinner break with pizza before we performed at North Stafford. The intermission gave marchers a time to get some food and get some rest before we performed for a second time that day.  

North Stafford

The second of two legs on Exhibition Saturday was exhilarating. After our pizza break, band members changed back into their uniforms and were then quickly escorted to concert arcs in a nearby field. There, Dr. Polly, the director of The Marching Virginians, and drum majors Tucker and Thomas Chase valiantly led the band through warm up tunes and snippets of our upcoming show.

What made the performance so special, however, was the recognition that “Aranjuez” would be played for a final time this season when we took the field at North Stafford. The Marching Virginians’ late staff arranger James Sochinski crafted the masterful Aranjuez for our marching band, and we would be playing it for a final time that evening. With that realization in mind, the band ripped through the piece with an intensity and fire that truly made it one of the season’s best performances thus far. 

Fans and parents alike at North Stafford bought into what the MVs were doing. During the Hokie Pokie, many audience members broke into song and dance alongside the sousaphone section and roared during pieces from Metallica and Pregame. Overall, the excitement was through the roof.  

The band closed their exhibition with a serene bus ride back to Blacksburg. While marchers got back to the MVC in the wee hours of the morning, it goes without saying that each member would gladly do it all over again. 

VT vs Rutgers - MV For A Day and Military Appreciation

This past Saturday, as Hokie Nation welcomed Rutgers University, the Marching Virginians had the wonderful privilege of hosting high schoolers from around Virginia!

All of us here at Virginia Tech were so happy to perform alongside our new high school friends (and hopefully prospective MVs!) during our Military Appreciation performance. Check-in began bright and early for our guests at 9:30, and the MVs began our practice at 10:30. Our repertoire included John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever,” the service song of each military branch, and John Williams’s “Olympic Fanfare and Theme.”

Go Hokies! Photo courtesy of Andrew Single (MV Online Content).

First Half

The first quarter started off a bit slow back and forth between two teams, but later on Rutgers Running Back Kyle Monangai scored a 1-yard touchdown. At the very end of the first quarter Rutgers Running Back Sam Brown scored another touchdown for the opposing team, putting the score at 14-0 Rutgers. Quickly into the second quarter Hokie Running Back Bhayshul Tuten scores a 23-yard touchdown, making the score 14-7 Rutgers. Near the end of the second quarter, Hokie Quarterback Kyron Drones sacked in the endzone for a safety, putting the score at 16-7 Rutgers by Halftime. Afterward the hardworking football team moved out of the way for their friends in the Marching Virginians so we could have the field for halftime!

Halftime

As we took the field, this was an extra special performance since we were not only able to perform with the high schoolers, but we also had the honor of recognizing and remembering current and past members of the United States armed forces. We first performed each song that represented each branch of the armed forces, and any current or past member of the respective branch was asked to stand to be recognized. The high schoolers quickly joined us afterward to perform the “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” along with our national march, “Stars and Stripes Forever.” After playing “Tech Triumph” to end our performance, we were back in the stands to continue the game against Rutgers.

Tuba train! Photo courtesy of MV Online Content.

Second Half

The third quarter featured Rutgers in the lead after Brown scored a 5-yard touchdown. Going into the fourth quarter, Tuten quickly scored a 14-yard touchdown, with a 2-point conversion to Benji Gosnell. At 4:35 Tuten scored a 2-yard touchdown, with another 2-point conversion to Stephen Gosnell. This put both teams at a 23-23 tie. At 1:56 Rutgers broke the tie with a 24-yard field goal, winning the game with 26-23.

All of the MVs here in Blacksburg were incredibly honored to be able to meet with and perform with high schoolers, and to also recognize our veterans and current members of the armed forces. We look forward to seeing everyone back in Lane Stadium on Thursday, October 17th against Boston College! As always, Go Hokies!

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50th Anniversary and Alumni Weekend - VT vs. Marshall

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What better way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Spirit of Tech than with a Alumni Day performance and a Virginia Tech Hokies victory? 

The VT vs. Marshall game weekend was packed with reunions, memories, and celebrations of what the Marching Virginians had accomplished. Friday night had started off with welcoming back the alumni with a reading session, allowing them to “warm up their chops” before their big performance on Saturday in Lane Stadium. The reading session was followed by an alumni banquet.

Alumni Event (Courtesy of Andrew Single)

The banquet was filled with Marching Virginians from every decade of the band, from 1974 all the way to current Marching Virginians sharing memories, exchanging stories, and celebrating how much this young marching band has accomplished. Emotions were very high as all looked back and dreamed of the future of the band.

“This 50th Anniversary had occurred because every person in this room left a part of them on that field,” Dave McKee shared during his speech to the Alumni. Sharing stories and looking at the band now, alumni were happy that their legacy still stood as a staple of not just Virginia Tech Football, but the atmosphere of so many students across many different colleges in the university. Dr. Polly Middleton ended the night by sharing “I hope you are always proud of the Marching Virginians… and I hope you look at the MVs with a sense of pride and excitement!”

Next up was GAMEDAY! All the current MVs and the Alumni met for rehearsal and shared with the Alumni the music and drill which would be shared with the thousands of fans in Lane Stadium.

First Quarter

Flyover! (Courtesy of Andrew Single)

The first quarter was slow and anxious at the same time, with Virginia Tech and Marshall making strong attempts to run the ball down the field with failed attempts. The quarter ended with excitement as Marshall punted the ball on 4th down. Jaylin Lane received the ball and ran 50 yards towards the North End Zone to celebrate a Virginia Tech touchdown with the Marching Virginians and student section to end the quarter at 7-0.

Second Quarter

We saw more action in the 2nd quarter, starting with Virginia Tech taking a 42 yard field goal to put the team at 10-0. Marshall pushed back as they pushed the Virginia Tech defense down the field making a 2 yard touchdown, pushing the Hokies at 10-7.

Halftime

As the game clock hit 0:00, the Marching Virginians took the field, opening their Alumni Day performance of “Aranjuez,” a band favorite which first made its debut in the Marching Virginians repertoire as another Jim Sochinski classic arrangement, and played throughout the 2010s and 2020s. Over 500 alumni members took to the field afterwards, with the combined Super Sousaphone section inviting everyone in Lane Stadium to the Hokie Pokie. Shennandoah and VPI Victory March followed, with the combined bands setting the field to present a large “50” for the 50th Anniversary. And just like that, the Marching Virginians finished Tech Triumph and sprinted back to their stands to continue rooting for the Hokies!

The halftime show was incredible. Over 800 Marching Virginians on the field, playing their hearts out, entertaining thousands with the melodies which have been shared for decades. This was a special show, as always, with every song arranged by late staff arranger James Sochinski. While no longer with us physically, his memories are carried by every MV who hits the field, as they play his pieces. And that made the show even more special than it already was. 

“Without Uncle Jim, we would not have been able to complete what we have accomplished... he poured every bit of sweat and knowledge into his arrangements.”
— Dave McKee

Third Quarter

Virginia Tech meant business, returning from halftime and pushing Marshall into the Red Zone for a 1 yard touchdown to push the score to 17-7. Marshall pushed the score with a 18 yard pass and touchtown to make a close 17-14. However, the Hokies returned shortly after to go 65 yards down the field, and finish with a 3 yard run by quarterback Kyron Drones, sliding past Marshall’s defense for a touchdown, leaving the score in the 3rd quarter to 24-14.

MVs and Hokie Football! (Courtesy of Andrew Single)

Fourth Quarter

The Hokies were not backing down yet, and started the quarter off strong with Drones throwing a 5 yard pass to Da’Quan Felton for a touchdown, sitting Virginia Tech at a comfortable 31-14. The Hokies held back Marshall for the rest of the game, guaranteeing another Virginia Tech Hokies’ victory for the books!

The Marching Virginians finished off their night in Lane Stadium with a new tradition, playing the ending medley from the Metallica show (Sad But True, Wherever I May Roam, Creeping Death, Lux Æterna, and of course, Enter Sandman) to celebrate all Virginia Tech victories. Lastly, the remaining fans saw a sky full of flying Marching Virginians as the night was finished with Superman.

The weekend was slam packed and exhausting for most, but it is memories that will be shared for a lifetime and never forgotten. However, the weekend’s festivities show what community has been built by this incredible organization. It is important to remember who has come, what is now, and what is to be – a grand show. 

In the words of the great Marching Virginians band director, Dave McKee, 

“Know the tradition, grow the tradition!”

It's Great to Be Back!

All of us here in Blacksburg are more than thrilled to be able to welcome new members, returners, leadership, and staff back to the Marching Virginians Center for another great season! This season is incredibly special because it is our 50th Anniversary celebration, where we will be celebrating and welcoming back MV Alumni. Whether they were the class of 2024, or the class of 1974, the Marching Virginians are so excited to have them back. Here is a tiny sneak peek into what our schedule entails this season!

September

This Friday (September 6), we are welcoming our alumni back for what is known as our Reading Session. This will be an opportunity for us to play a couple of their absolute favorite shows and stand tunes with them.

Happy Band Camp! (Photo courtesy of MV Multimedia)

This Saturday (September 7), is our first home game. We play against Marshall University, and it’s the Marching Virginians’ 50th Anniversary Celebration as well as our MV Alumni Day! We will be welcoming over a thousand alumni and their loved ones back to Blacksburg, and we cannot wait to hear about their favorite memories of being in the MVs.

The following Saturday (September 14), is our exhibition performance at Christiansburg High School! The MVs will take a quick trip over to Christiansburg to perform for very excited high schoolers and families. We absolutely love exhibitions, because this is a way for high schools to see what our organization is all about. It’s also a chance for Hokie fans that may not be able to come to a game to see us perform. There’s always a chance that someone in the crowd is hoping to be an MV someday!

On Saturday, September 21, we are hosting lots and lots of high schools from around Virginia and nearby states at our annual MV for a Day! This is always such a fun day, and we are so excited to meet high schoolers and prospective MVs! The Marching Virginians always love getting to meet and perform with high school marchers.

September 28 brings another exhibition day — a doubleheader at both Riverbend and North Stafford high schools! This really maximizes how many young marchers will get to see us play this season. We’re so excited!

Hi, Chad! (Photo courtesy of MV Multimedia)

October

On Friday, October 25, we have our homecoming parade. That Saturday, the 26th, is our homecoming game against Georgia Tech.

November

November 9th, we will be hosting Clemson University at Lane Stadium, and this is also our annual Hokies for the Hungry! Hokies for the Hungry is a friendly competition among the sections to see who can donate the most food to donate to charity. We always love this fundraiser at the end of the year!

On November the 30th, we will be hosting the University of Virginia for our last game of the regular season. This is Senior Recognition for the MVs, as well as Band Parents Day! This is the day that we get to recognize our wonderful seniors, and welcome our parents on Game Day to join our celebration!

December

In early December, before finals, we will have our end of year livestream concert. Stay tuned for details on dates, and to see if we play the ACC Championship on Sunday, December 7!

We have such a busy but exciting season coming up here in Blacksburg, and we cannot wait to celebrate our 50th anniversary alongside our alumni, high school bands, and all of Hokie nation!

Recap: Band Camp!

Happy first day of classes! 

After a long week in the sun, our MVs are ready to dive into their coursework – some for the very first time in college. While they settle into their classrooms and wait to come back for practice this evening, we’ll review the some highlights from the past week – band camp!

Photo courtesy of Daniel Gaete

Every day brought something unique to band camp this year. It was a wildly productive and successful week! We put nearly two full shows on the field (two weeks before our first game!), distributed uniforms through a carefully curated algorithm and the help of many hands, made new friends and so much more. 

Monday - Friday

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday saw our MVs reuniting, getting to know one another and starting to get our feet under us. We worked on fundamentals, drill for our first show – which is September 7th against Marshall University –, music new and old and so much more.

On Thursday, we started setting drill for our pregame show! This year, pregame will be the Boston College game – keep an eye out for our performance! Some of us have been marching the same dot for years, and some of us were brand new to the show. Everyone did great! We also practiced stand tunes. 

Thursday morning also saw our annual band camp DRILL DOWN. This intense event is a Simon-Says style marching competition. Our winner this year was Nik Stapleton!

Photo courtesy of Atlas Vernier

With Friday morning off for required meetings for our first-year meetings, returners slept in before we all reconvened at the MVC in the afternoon. For both afternoon and evening session this day, we worked on setting and cleaning shows.

Saturday

After a standard morning session, the MVs spent the afternoon in Lane Stadium, practicing some different arrangements in the stands and putting our shows to real grass. On the way there, we had our first March to Victory of the season! This was especially exciting for new members. 

In the evening, we hosted our livestreamed Meet the Band concert. The band got to watch the color guard perform, and then the drumline. Their performances were great! We wish we had more opportunities to watch their hard work, and are so grateful for everything they do on and off the field. Once they finished, the band performed drill from the two shows we’ve set and performed some spirit spots and stand tunes in concert arcs as well. 

Photo courtesy of Atlas Vernier

Saturday ended with great excitement and equally great solemnity. Before the livestream, our retired director Dave McKee came to the MVC to give a speech about the importance of this 50th anniversary season and to share information about long-standing band traditions and how this program has the potential to shape lives. After the livestream, we performed our traditional Superman ritual (I’ll save the details – we want future marchers to experience the joy in person!), and we dismissed for the evening. 

Sunday

The band got to sleep in late on the last day before classes, with an afternoon call time of 3:30. After a short rehearsal, we performed our second March to Victory of the season and made our way to Lane Stadium for the annual Hokie Hi Spirit Rally. 

At the Spirit Rally, formerly known as the Hokie Hi Picnic, we performed a number of pieces from our gameday repertoire to assist dance and cheer in their efforts to teach the Class of 2028 what to do at a game. Lively despite the heat, the band had a great time calling out different variations on the “LET’S - GO - HOK - IES” signs carried on the field. 

After we played, leadership, first-year members and some helpful returners filed onto the field to form the big VT outline for the annual freshman picture. We hope they remember to pick up a copy to take home!

All in all, band camp was a great success. We have our left feet forward and are ready to get started!

Recap: Leadership Retreat!

It’s Tuesday evening and soon everyone will be arriving at the Marching Virginians Center for the third full day of band camp. 

While the rookies and returners are rolling in fresh off of months away, our 2024-2025 leadership have been hard at work since Friday in-person and long before behind-the-scenes. Let’s get some insight into the process and see what they’ve been up to!

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Friday

Friday for the MV Leadership was our work day! This meant different things for everyone.

For SSAs, drum majors, the head manager and the presidents or representatives of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, this meant individual meetings with Polly and Chad. Officers took care of tasks specific to their positions. Field leadership largely attended to chores to help prepare the MVC for the year, and officers helped out where they could. These jobs included organizing equipment, reorganizing both rooms at the MVC and the office, cleaning the MVC and so many more essential tasks for a smooth-running band camp!

In the evening, we completed registration and then proceeded into a leadership session with Paige, Thomas and Emily – our executive officer and drum majors, respectively. Here, we set goals and spent time bonding in preparation for meeting all of our new and returning members later in the weekend.

Saturday

On Saturday, our MV Leadership met in the morning to discuss important topics like our schedule for the year and the special events that go on at each game. Later on, we met with Marching Virginian alumni Ben Nelson for a leadership training centered around respect, inclusion and what it means to be a leader.

In the evening, field leadership met to dust off their marching and instructional skills. The excitement for hitting the ground running is building!

Sunday

On the final day of leadership retreat, our field leadership had the special opportunity to perform at a funeral for a dedicated fan of Virginia Tech football and the Marching Virginians. This event was a great way to remind us as band camp starts how much we mean to our fans and how strong the impact is that we have on our Hokie community. 

Sunday also included more prep tasks for before band camp, like uniform organization and printing music. Our new winds registered in the early evening, and as they met their sections and had their first general meeting and fundamentals session, our returners came back to register as well.

We are so excited to get to know everyone in the band this year, and can’t wait to see what this awesome season has in store!

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Between Band Practices: Emelia Delaporte

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For the fifth blog in this series, Marketing and Communications Officer Emelia Delaporte reflects on her time at Virginia Tech, her involvement in student organizations, and what it means to be a Marching Virginian.  

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Photo courtesy of Emelia Delaporte

How long have you been in the MVs and what is your role? 

This will be my fourth season with the MVs, as well as my fourth year as an undergraduate. My role during this past season has been the Marketing and Communications Officer, and I will be reprising that this season. In addition to that, I have been a member of the piccolo section my entire time here. 

What’s your degree program and how far along in it are you? I have been pursuing dual degrees, so that means instead of doing a double major, it's so many credits that they hand you two separate diplomas. I'm pursuing professional and technical writing, which is a major under the English department, and multimedia journalism, which falls under the School of Communication. In addition to those two programs, I've also been pursuing double minors in natural resources recreation and biodiversity conservation, both of which are housed in the College of Natural Resources and Environment.  

Photo courtesy of Emelia Delaporte

What extracurriculars outside of the MVs did you engage in? 

I started out freshman year with the Wildlife Society, the Bird Club, the National Deer Association, the Outdoor Club, the Collegiate Times, and Silhouette Literary and Art Magazine. I did Panhellenic for a semester and a summer. I've tried to narrow it down a bit since then. My sophomore year, I became an assistant section editor for the Lifestyles column the Collegiate Times — that was my main organizational focus outside of the MVs.  My junior year, I ended up becoming the social media chair for the National Deer Association, lifestyles section editor for The Collegiate Times, and editor-in-chief of the Silhouette. This coming year, I'll be involved with the CT, the Silhouette, the Wildlife Society, the Bird Club, and WUVT, which is our student radio station. I also have done a lot of volunteer student research. 

Photo courtesy of Emelia Delaporte (handled with permits)

Earlier, you mentioned student research. What have you been investigating? 

Since my freshman year, I've been involved with the Wildlife Habitat and Population analysis lab, fondly known as WHAPA. With them, I've been doing camera trapping data entry since my freshman year, going through a bunch of pictures from cameras in Belize and helping folks identify jaguars and stuff like that. I was also briefly involved with a number of other projects, some of them centering around salamanders, birds, and trees. And then this past year, I've been involved with the Dayer Human Dimensions Lab. So in the spring, I was working on a shorebird disturbance project, and that's who I'm working with this summer. I'll also be working with them again in the fall. 

How would you say the MVs impacted your time at Virginia Tech? 

The MVs have always been something that was super special to me. The MVs gave me my friends for at least my freshman fall before I really got my legs under myself and was able to start branching out a little bit more into the university, and then they've been a home space to come back to every fall. It's definitely been my greatest social foundation while I've been in college. 

How would you say being in another organization outside of the MVs has benefited you? 

It’s taught me a lot about prioritization. There have been a lot of things that I would have loved to have done, but I've had to be a practice instead, like my involvement with Scouts BSA and the Order of the Arrow has kind of taken a backseat for the past couple of years because I've needed to be at practice. It's instilled more confidence in me that those organizations still want to be there for me when I have the time to be a part of them. It can be really gratifying to have to split your time between things like that, because it teaches you that those folks who you aren't able to be there with all the time actually care about you enough to say that, you're taking time away and that it’s okay. So it's taught me a lot about that, and just in general, it's given me a lot of time management skills.  

Photo courtesy of Emelia Delaporte

What advice do you have for folks who are new to the MVs? 

Don't feel left out because you're doing one thing when there's something else you could be doing. I remember my freshman year, I was so focused on, “oh my gosh, I can't be with my residence hall right now, like these people are all going to make friends, and I'm at practice. What am I going to do?” I ended up not being friends with them anyways, and that was probably for the better. So do the best you can to branch out and meet new people, but also recognize that if you can't be somewhere, it's not the end of the world. We all get busy.  Setting yourself up in the fall with other clubs and things to keep yourself busy when the spring comes has been really essential, at least for my well-being and my organization during the school year.

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Emelia is from Tampa, Florida and worked this summer as a social science research assistant.

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Between Band Practices: Lauren Powell

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For the fourth blog in this series, color guard rank captain Lauren Powell talks about balancing clubs, Greek, Disney and engineering with the Marching Virginians.

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How long have you been in the MVs and what is your role?

This will be my third season, I joined my freshman year in 2021, and I’m a rank captain in the color guard.

Photo courtesy of Lauren Powell

What’s your degree program and how far along in it are you?

I just switched to biomedical engineering, so technically this is my fourth year but I’m junior standing with taking a semester off for the Disney College Program. I’ll be able to do all four years of MVs, which is great, because I’ll get my mug!

Before you went to biomed, what were you doing? What inspired the shift?

Mechanical engineering. A lot of what I wanted to do with mechanical was working on animatronics for Disney. In the last couple of months, seeing a lot of my family members with their medical issues kind of inspired me – that’s what I want to do, help people. I do a lot of service stuff… and I just love to help people in every aspect of what I do. I think the biomedical engineering is something that my dad has really inspired because he has a pacemaker and a defibrillator in him – growing up knowing that was saving his life every day, any time he could possibly need it, was really inspiring. It was like, I could do that with my degree and help more people and take our technology to a new level of innovation. 

What extracurriculars outside of the MVs did you engage in?

My freshman year, I joined SWE, which is the Society of Women Engineers. It gets me tons of networking events, I get to meet a ton of people and I’ve made tons of friends. It’s such a wide group. 

Photo courtesy of Lauren Powell

I’m also part of Valiant Indoor Guard, which is more spring semester, so I get to spin all year-round, which is fantastic! I’ll be serving as our treasurer this year. It’s really nice to have that change of pace in color guard and step away from the marching style to go more towards the story-telling. It’s like a totally different thing with indoor color guard because you have all of your weapons, you can do really insane flag tricks that you can’t do in Lane Stadium. There’s also the dance component. It’s a lot more artistic.

I’m also a part of Line Dance VT, which is our line dancing club. I’ll be serving as treasurer this year. It’s a nice group of people – just kind of getting people out, getting them on their feet. The last one is, I’m in Alpha Sigma Kappa, which is a social sorority for women in technical studies. It’s a lot more laid back from your actual sororities, but we do a lot of service events and philanthropy, and social events. 

How would you say the MVs impacted your time at Tech?

It is the best decision I’ve ever made at VT. I could say changing my major was an amazing decision, joining every organization I’ve joined is an amazing decision, but the MVs is the best one. I’ve made some of my closest friends and met so many awesome people. 

How would you say being in another organization outside of the MVs has benefited you?

It’s definitely been beneficial to me, because I’ve been able to meet people in similar majors who’ve had similar struggles. They know that experience and can help you through it. It’s really nice to have that support system academically. Being able to find those people and connect the dots is super nice. If I wasn’t in any of those organizations, who would I hang out with?

Photo courtesy of Lauren Powell

How have you managed your time?

One thing that I learned in my Hypatia class freshman year was to literally schedule my Google Calendar minute by minute. Importing all of your stuff from Canvas, your classes, the games, all the sorority events – I’m really able to manage it all and be like, so I can’t go this event, so I can do this, so I’ll go to this event instead. It works really well for me. Weekend off from band? I’m doing my homework for the next week. 

What advice do you have for folks who are new to the MVs?

Try everything. I went to GobblerFest freshman year, tried everything I could, went to a couple meetings – if I felt like it was a good path for me, I stuck with it. If you’re scared to join the MVs, at least give it a try for a semester and see how it goes. A lot of people talk about freshman year being scary and it definitely was but MVs was the one thing that really helped me.

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Lauren is from Strasburg, Pennsylvania.